Tag: viewpoint

One Year After Jeopardy!, What’s Next for Watson?
This week marks the one-year anniversary of IBM Watson’s historic match against the two greatest champions of the popular Jeopardy! quiz show. Watson’s victory was a remarkable accomplishment that marked the culmination of an intensive four-year research effort by a team of IBM scientists. It also signaled the start of another quest — applying Watson analytics technology to solve some of the world’s most complex problems. http://ibm.co/x04I54

IBM’s Viewpoint
Here’s how you can join the conversation about IBM’s perspective on putting Watson to work:

— The challenge and opportunity for Watson extends far beyond its victory on Jeopardy! By applying major advances in deep analytics and system design, Watson has the potential to transform entire industries like healthcare, financial services and telecommunications.

— In healthcare, Watson could analyze the meaning and context of human language, quickly processing vast amounts of data to help physicians and nurses identify the most effective treatment options for patients. http://ibm.co/whgJim

— Watson technology is being put to work at WellPoint, one of the largest U.S. health benefits providers, to help doctors make more accurate diagnosis and reduce unnecessary and costly lab tests. Through this project, Watson can become a ubiquitous bedside and office-visit assistant for doctors and nurses — delivering truly personalized care to patients. http://ibm.co/yPd8jS

What They’re Saying
— CNET says Watson is transitioning from a Jeopardy champion to a new line of business for Big Blue. http://cnet.co/wbKiII

— Fortune examines how Watson is being commercialized as an analytics tool for industries like healthcare, telecom and financial services. http://bit.ly/Az2eVW

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Clear Skies Ahead for Cloud Computing
Following years of anticipation and lofty expectations, cloud computing is beginning to deliver on its potential as a powerful resource for businesses, governments and organizations in all industries. A recent IBM Institute of Business Value study found that 90 percent of organizations expect to adopt or substantially deploy a cloud model in the next three years. The New York Times cited a Forrester Research outlook for 2020 in declaring, “cloud computing will come on quicker than you think.”
IBM CTO of Cloud Computing Lauren States outlines how IBM is poised to capitalize on what it has identified as a major business growth opportunity with $7 billion in cloud revenue forecast by 2015. http://ibm.co/zN8FlR

IBM’s Viewpoint
Here’s how you can join the conversation about IBM’s perspective on the cloud business opportunity:

— The impact of cloud computing will extend beyond the traditional IT industry by making technology more widely accessible throughout organizations. This will help transform the way services are delivered in industries as diverse as healthcare, banking, telecommunications and government. http://ibm.co/AwEN73

— Removing the complexity associated with using cloud computing and giving people access to unprecedented computing power will transform the way clients in key growth areas, such as smarter commerce, analytics and social business provide services to their own customers.

— IBM is combining its strengths in hardware, software and services to deliver cloud capabilities that provide choice, security and control as clients begin shifting critical activities to the cloud. http://ibm.co/w24j1M

— Wired reports on IBM cloud-based analytics that can help life sciences companies discover new drugs. http://bit.ly/unF4Wf
— InformationWeek examines how the IBM SmartCloud for Social Business connects the company’s cloud and collaboration strategies. http://bit.ly/A2TXVm

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Why Patents & Innovation Matter
For 19 consecutive years, IBM has reigned as the leading recipient of U.S. patents, with its inventors receiving a record 6,180 patents in 2011. The company’s record-setting 2011 patent tally more than quadrupled Hewlett-Packard’s issuances and exceeded by more than six times the total of Oracle/Sun. IBM’s patent leadership is a reflection of the commitment to innovation that differentiates the company and its employees.

IBM’s Viewpoint:
Here’s how you can add to the conversation about why IBM’s patent leadership matters.

— Patents are a critical component of IBM’s high-value business strategy, enabling the company to create leading-edge products and services for clients, protect its freedom of action in the marketplace, and generate approximately $1 billion annually in IP-related income.

— Now more than ever, innovation is a global effort at IBM. More than 8,000 inventors from 36 countries contributed to IBM’s record 6,180 U.S. patents in 2011. IBMers are encouraged to invent and seek patent protection for their innovations, and they are recognized and rewarded for doing so.

— IBM’s patented inventions have great value in the marketplace, helping to generate a return on the approximately $6 billion annual investment IBM makes in R&D. IBM’s patent portfolio is also made available to other companies via license agreements and joint technology development projects, such as the recently-announced computer chip manufacturing collaboration in New York State.

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At a time when global competitiveness is being more closely examined, citizens and businesses are concerned about how nations can balance future investments with today’s pressing needs. Over the next week, IBM will raise awareness of the experiences, observations and tactics that nations can use to become more competitive on the global stage. For example, tomorrow IBM and the Skolkovo Foundation in Russia will announce plans to establish a Science and Technology Center and enable an Intellectual Property management system to spur Russian innovation. On Thursday, IBM will host an influencer forum at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute in New York City to examine strategies for rekindling American competitiveness.

IBM’s Viewpoint:
With the future of global competitiveness in the spotlight, here’s how you can add to the conversation:

— As governments debate how to drive growth during the current fiscal crisis, IBM is encouraging a renewed focus on public-private partnerships to address competitive challenges. Through increased collaboration with the private sector, governments can leverage a relatively small amount of public investment to mobilize many times that amount in private funding. For example, earlier this year IBMers provided assistance to several Nigerian government agencies by training government employees to manage projects more efficiently and installing technology to share information more effectively.

— Innovation through emerging technologies like IBM’s Watson system can help governments better serve citizens and foster important advancements in areas ranging from healthcare, to education and energy -– delivering innovations that will stoke economic growth and create jobs.

— A focus on skills development in key areas such as analytics and System z mainframe technology is important to ensure countries have the high value skills necessary to succeed in the increasingly competitive 21st century global economy. Tomorrow, IBM will announce that more than 1,000 schools worldwide are now teaching courses on mainframe technology, helping equip students with the skills and experience they need to compete and solve some of the world’s most complex computing challenges.

What They’re Saying
“It’s time for public-private partnerships to align education, skills, and jobs.” — Citizen IBM blog post by Cordell Carter, director of Public Policy at the Business Roundtable http://ibm.co/uwJYcj

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said on the Senate floor: “IBM, one of the most innovative companies around, has facilities in Rochester, Minnesota and in the Twin Cities that was granted a record 5,896 patents in 2010. That is why IBM supports this bill. They want to even bring more inventions and more jobs to America.” http://ibm.co/rB51JW

“They are creating not only an impact on communities and small businesses, but they are applying the unique and powerful IBM assets to catalyze a movement around service.” — Peter Bankole, director, Enterprise Development Centre of PAN African University http://ibm.co/uyf3Z4

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Early 2011 online holiday retail sales surged over the past five days as consumers gobbled up deals and hot ticket items from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, driving record double digit growth for retailers. Throughout the weekend, IBM’s online retail benchmark analyzed and revealed consumer shopping trends, such as the increasing influence of mobile holiday shoppers led by consumers using iPhones, iPads, Android phones and other devices to research deals and comparison shop for online bargains. Dozens of media outlets across North America reported on IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative and analysis of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping trends and sales growth.

IBM’s Viewpoint
IBM’s key insights from its analysis of the early holiday sales results include: